Emily and the Lost City of Urgup Read Online Free PDF Page A

body was lean and he had a very embracing smile that lit up his face. Hadar was shorter, darker and more muscular with an enormous moustache that covered half his face. Tucked into his waist Emily spied what looked like a curled sword.
    “Ah, you are looking at my scimitar,” noted Hadar. “I rarely use it, but I always carry it.,” he added. May I see it,” she asked. But before Hadar removed the sword from its case, Professor Dasam spoke out. “In this country, Emily, when a man unsheathes his scimitar, he must draw blood.”
    Despite Dasam’s comments, Hadar withdrew the sword from its scabbard and placed it gently into Emily’s hands. It was a short sword, curled in an arc and she could feel that the blade was razor sharp.
    Before placing the scimitar back in its case, Hadar gave a quick wipe of the blade to his forearm and then wiped the blood from his arm with a handkerchief. Emily was speechless.
    “Now,” said Professor Witherspoon, “that you have seen the courage of Hadar, I would like to see the courage of Emily. Tell us about the kidnappers, please.”
    “How did he know?” she wondered and then told the whole story of the failed kidnapping.
     

CHAPTER FIVE: The Reign of Hotemhotem

    PROFESSOR DASAM WAS head of the Department of Archaeology at the University in Cairo and an expert in hieroglyphics. He took Emily’s parchment, unfolded it to read the sign language.
    “No,” he announced. “This is Emily’s and before I read it, I shall teach her the ancient languages of Arabia.
    Thus Emily became the youngest student in the Professor’s classroom. She worked very hard, repeating words and memorizing signs, studying ancient scripts, questioning translations. A miracle presented itself before Professor Dasam’s eyes as Emily excelled beyond almost all of his classroom of students twice her age.
    The day came when Emily graduated. “Now,” said Professor Dasam, as a prize for your good work, you shall translate the parchment.” “No, no,” exclaimed Emily, “as a present from me to you, for your great scholarship and love of teaching, I wish you to translate.” “Very well,” he replied.
    “How interesting,” he announced. “This talks about a city called Urgup, the home of Hotemhotem and his wife Nefertutti. It numbers the buildings and the people, the warehouses full of wheat and barley, the fields full of flowers and the stalls for one thousand camels. It talks of Ashtar and Isis, and of the promise of peace on earth.”
    “Look here, Professor Witherspoon, near the bottom of the parchment is a map. It locates the city near the great Holy Well of Shambac.” he added. “Emily, what a great find you have. We know the Holy Well and maybe, if we are lucky, we shall discover the Lost City of Urgup,” the professor told her.
    The two professors organized a small caravan of camels and a dozen servants to carry them to the Holy Well and scout the area for the lost city. On the day of departure, Professor Dasam, his able assistant, Panwar, and the servants went to a nearby Mosque. There they took off their shoes and washed their feet and hands before entering the building which was conical in shape with a large dome. “They will pray that Allah will guide us safely and that his will be done,” noted Professor Witherspoon. “We also say, thy will be done,” commented Emily. “Well, of course,” noted the professor, “we are all part of the religions that began with Abraham, although sometimes it doesn’t appear to be the case.”
    Emily had never ridden a camel and when the driver of the caravan approached her she was nervous. The camel seemed unconcerned. It was dressed with all sorts of finery across its back and around its face with tassels on blankets and harnesses and even the seat at the top of its hump. The driver spoke to the camel and it kneeled down, first with its forelegs and then its back legs. Emily was helped up onto the seat and with a loud “Hup! Hup!” the